


On The Rocks

by Icepath



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: (he’s doing a horrible job), Bartender AU, F/F, Kaede is a local musician, Lesbians, Maki is a useless gay, kaito is here to be a supportive friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-05-31 10:16:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15117290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icepath/pseuds/Icepath
Summary: When a new pianist starts playing at the bar Maki works at, she falls head over heels. Maybe things will finally work out for Maki





	1. Rainy Nights

It’s a rainy autumn night when Maki first sees Kaede enter the bar, radiating confidence as she strode towards the piano in the back. Hired musicians were a part of the bar’s charm, and they changed daily, so at first she hadn’t given the other girl any thought.

But the way her hands glided over the keys… the way she moved with the music as though it were a force pushing her from side to side… they way the dim lighting and the brick walls seemed to highlight those blonde locks of hair just right…

Maki hadn’t noticed she was daydreaming until she heard a boisterous laugh from Kaito. He and Shuichi were regulars, and while they had annoyed Maki at first, she had come to enjoy their company on slow nights like this, when the bar was almost empty and you could hear the sound of rain against the sturdy walls.

“Hey, Maki Roll! As funny as it is seeing your cheeks match your eyes, I could really use a refill.” Kaito jabbed playfully at her. If he had said something like that a few months ago, she probably would have kicked him out of the bar.

She snatched the glass out of his hand and returns with a fresh beer, making sure to slam it on the counter just hard enough that some of it splashed in his face. Kaito sputtered and wiped away the foam, and now it was Maki’s turn to laugh, all while that incredible piano music echoed through the room.

“I’m not blushing that much, am I?” She asked, lowering her voice as the pianist turned her head to locate the source of the laughter. 

“Oh you are. Probably more. You know I can’t see well with these stupidly dim lights.” Kaito retorted, still as loud as ever. 

“If you keep pointing it out I’ll make sure you don’t just get splashed by the next round.” She growled, but there was no malice behind the threat. Kaito could be annoying and obnoxious, but he was still her friend, and it was clear that he was getting better at reading her emotions. 

Of course, Maki barely had any idea what she was feeling in the first place, or why her heart raced every time she looked over to the corner of the room where the pianist (she still didn’t even know her name) was beginning to pack up her music.

Kaito gave Maki a nudge from across the counter. “Go ask who she is! It’s a slow night, nobody’s going to get mad.”

He was right, and as the blonde was reaching for the door, Maki vaulted the counter, and dashed over with surprising speed. She tapped the other girl’s shoulder lightly. 

Kaede immediately turned around, a bright smile still on her face. “Oh! You’re the bartender right? I’m so sorry, I should have introduced myself before!” She apologized with a light laugh, but even that sounded like music to Maki. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu. I’m the new musician coming on Wednesday and Friday.” She explained.

For a moment, Maki stood there, dumbfounded by just how incredibly beautiful this pianist was now that she was face to face with her. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. “Maki. I’m Maki Harukawa. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Kaede nodded and with that, she grabbed her umbrella, opened the door, and headed out into the rainy night, leaving one very flustered Maki, and one hysterical Kaito alone in the bar before closing.


	2. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki takes baby steps. Kaede takes leaps and bounds.

When Kaede returns to the bar on Friday, Maki’s reaction is much more subtle than before. She had taken the time to practice, but the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her as Kaede flashed a warm smile in her direction. She decides the glass she’s cleaning is much more interesting than embarrassing herself further, even if it’s already spotless. 

The bar is a bit more busy today. It was still mainly the regular customers (it always was) but occasionally a new face would stop by, curious about the little brick bar with the small neon sign. It had the charm of being more like a speakeasy. Maybe that was what kept the regulars coming in. It certainly couldn’t be Maki’s boisterous personality. 

And yet it seems to be exactly that which brings Kaede up to the bar as Maki pours another drink for Shuichi. “I still have a little more time before I have to play tonight. Do you think you could pour me a glass of wine and we could talk about how pretty you would look with your hair down?” 

Oh that gets Maki blushing. She hates that Kaede knows all the right strings to pull to make her squirm behind the counter, but she obliges to the request while Kaede sits next to Kaito, who flashes the pianist an encouraging smile and a thumbs up while Maki is turned away. Atua knows she would kill him if she ever saw him fanning the flames that seemed to burn beneath her. 

Maki hands Kaede the glass and Kaede kisses her hand as she does. Maki flinches for a moment at the sudden show of affection but once again, her reddened cheeks betrayed her true emotions as she turned her head away and covered her eyes. Seeing that Maki was certainly not going to make a move any time soon, Kaede chugged down the rest of her liquid courage and took one more bold step for the night.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me? Does… next Saturday sound good?” She asks, with a wide smile that’s all too innocent for the person who was teasing Maki just moments ago. 

And speaking of Maki, she is left speechless at just how bold the blonde is, and just how badly she’s fallen head over heels for exactly that. She swallows, ignoring how dry her throat felt all of a sudden and nodded, maybe just a bit too enthusiastically.

“Great! Pick me up at seven!” Kaede chirped and handed Maki a folded slip of paper before sauntering off to the piano and beginning to play a smooth jazz melody. 

After a moment, Kaito waved his hand in front of Maki’s awestruck face. “Hellooooooo? Earth to Maki? Do we need to send a rescue mission?” He called. Maki shook her head and swatted his hand away, stuffing the paper in her pocket and getting back to work. “She gave me her number…” she whispered to herself, trying to cover the small smile beginning to spread across her face. Maybe things would work out after all...

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and criticism are always appreciated! This is a labor of love and I don’t have a set update schedule, but I enjoy writing this. Love you all!
> 
> \- Ice


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